At that point, Jake, who had been out in the back yard, slipped past Grendel and ran inside, barking at the G-man.
“Jake!” I said sharply. “Stop that!”
Jake looked at me, whined, and came to stand beside me. From there, he stared at the G-man and growled quietly. Good enough, I decided. I didn’t want to chastise my dog for doing what I wanted to do myself.
The G-man and I sat across each other at my kitchen table, which looked out over the back yard.
Grendel, then, shifted his position and with some work and by lying on his side, managed to get his upper half inside. From this position his face and shoulders were visible in the opening that led from the kitchen onto the hallway. In this position he looked bigger and more incongruous than ever. (As well as, I thought, more beautiful.)
